Book Synopsis:

One Day meets Up: The House That Made Us is a love story – and a life story – told through a series of photographs and inspired by a true story
 
When Mac and Marie marry and find a home of their own, Mac takes a snap of them outside their newbuild bungalow, the garden bare and the paint on the front door still wet. It becomes a tradition, this snap, and slowly the photographs build into an album of a fifty-year relationship.
 
Every year they take a photo and though things change around them – the garden matures, the fashions change, they grow older – the one constant is their love. Every year, come rain, come shine, from the Seventies through the decades, every photo tells the story of their love. But life never travels the path you expect it to, though they know that a life with love is a life lived to the full.

Now, in the present day, the photo album belongs to someone who doesn’t know the people in its pages. As they watch the lives from the past unfold, will the truth of their love story be told…?
 
A heart-breaking story about life and love for readers who love Holly Miller, Jojo Moyes and Hazel Prior.

My Review:

The House That Made Us is a beautiful, heartwarming read about love and life throughout the years.

The story is told from two points of view; one following an elderly lady in a nursing home who has found a photo album showing a couple posing in front of their house every year and one telling the story of Mac and Marie, the couple behind the photograph. Mac & Marie’s part is longer and I found it really intriguing to follow them throughout the years. The author gives the reader a fly on the wall glimpse into their lives and I felt very involved in all that happens to them. I liked that the story seemed realistic with the author describing sad events alongside the lighter, happier occasions. The later storyline, following the lady who had found the photo album, was intriguing as I was interested to see how it tied with Mac & Marie’s story.

Mac & Marie were wonderful characters that I just fell in love with. I loved how different the two of them were but how they managed to compliment each other, helping each other when they needed it. Marie is as strong as Mac is sensitive and this makes them such a wonderful couple to follow. I was absolutely cheering in some of the moments when Marie stands up for her or Mac’s dreams but crying with them at some of the emotional parts of the story too. Marie’s big, Irish family were also a joy to read about and I loved the madcap moments when they were all together. I especially liked the wonderful relationship Mac and his father in law had which often had me laughing out loud as they tried to stand up to their strong wives. They all started to seem like old friends and I was very sad to close the book and leave them behind.

Huge thanks to Sara-Jade from Simon and Schuster for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Alice Cavanagh was born in Fulham and still lives in London. She writes under a variety of names, including her real name, Bernadette Strachan, and as Juliet Ashton.

Book Synopsis:

The start of BRAND NEW SERIES from bestselling author of ‘The Tobacco Girls’ Lizzie Lane

Bristol 1936
Jenny Crawford has resigned herself to a loveless marriage living hand to mouth with their two children. Like many others, husband Roy struggles to find work at the docks but a chance encounter turns the family’s fortunes around.
Not only does he get regular work but they are also allocated a council house on Coronation Close on the outskirts of the city. Jenny and the children are overjoyed, this is the fresh start she could only ever dream of.
But trouble feels never too far away. With Roy spending more time with Sir Oswald Molsey bullying black shirts, Jenny is left to her own devices and eager to fit in begins to make new friends.
Thankful of peace, Jenny has her head turned firstly by an old love and then by her knight in shining armour.
Does she allow herself to glimpse a chance of happiness?
Whatever happens the consequences could be dire if Roy ever finds out.

My Review:

I am a huge fan of The Tobacco Girls series so I was excited to learn that the author had a new series coming out. Once again the author has written a fantastic, powerful and emotional story that I really enjoyed.

Firstly the author does a great job of setting the scene and I loved the fabulous descriptions of what Britain was like before the Second World War. I didn’t know much about the ‘slums’ so I enjoyed learning more about them and what it was like living in them. I found it really heartbreaking to see how some people used to live but it was lovely to see the closeness of this tight knit community and how they shared the little that they had.

The characters are all wonderful creations that I enjoyed getting to know throughout the book. There were some characters that I loved and some I loved to hate, especially the horrible Roy who’s wife I felt very sorry for. I liked that they all brought different things to the story and it was intriguing to discover the secrets they all were keeping hidden.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more from this series. There was always lots of things happening which kept me reading and the emotional moments helped drawn me into the story, making me feel closer to the characters. There are lots of interesting historical references which I loved and some very interesting historical information especially regarding the feared black shirts which I didn’t realise were active in Britain. If you’re a fan of historical fiction or historical sagas then I highly recommend this book.

Huge thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Boldwood for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Lizzie Lane has written over fifty books a number of which have appeared in the top thirty best selling paperbacks and the Heatseekers charts. Her pet interest is WW2, how little people carried on regardless against the biggest upheaval the world had ever known. She mentions at one stage about how it seemed Britain was sinking beneath the weight of weaponry and allied soldiers from all over the world.

Born and raised in Bristol, a number of her family were involved in the tobacco industry which at one time employed 13,000 people in the city. This is the inspiration behind her latest series, The Tobacco Girls which is set against those five years of war and follows their lives and loves, their hope for survival and better times to come.

Good morning everyone I thought I’d do a little Last, Now, Next reading update today!

⭐Last: The Witches Of Vardø by Anya Bergman

Absolutely loved this powerful, absorbing and chilling book which I rated 5 Stars. Review on a previous post!

⭐Now: I May Be Wrong by Björn Natthiko Lindeblad.

Reading this as part of the Tandem Collective read-along but so enjoying it. This book has honestly helped me in so many ways and I’ve highlighted huge parts of it so I can reference them when needed. Review coming soon!

⭐The House That Made Us by Alice Cavanagh

What’s your Last, Now, Next?

Good morning everyone! I thought I’d share some of the Non Fiction books I would like to read soon. I’ve decided to try and read a bit more non fiction this year as it always seems such a fascinating genre but sadly one that I never seem to quite get around to reading. These are all books that have been recommended to me from other bloggers with the exception of I May Be Wrong which I’m reading as part of the Tandem Collective read-along.

Do you have any non fiction recommendations for me?

I May Be Wrong by Björn Natthiko Lindeblad

The Sunday Times bestselling book of comfort and timeless wisdom from former forest monk, Björn Natthiko Lindeblad

We like to think we can determine the path our life takes, but events rarely unfold the way we plan for or expect. In this international bestseller, former forest monk Björn Natthiko Lindeblad draws on his humbling journey towards navigating uncertainty – helping you, with kindness and good humour, to:

– Let go of the small stuff
– Accept the things you cannot control
– Manage difficult emotions
– Find stillness at busy times
– Face yourself – and others – without judgment

Infusing the everyday with heart and grace, this is a wise and soothing handbook for dealing with life’s challenges.

Taste by Stanley Tucci

From award-winning actor and food obsessive Stanley Tucci comes an intimate and charming memoir of life in and out of the kitchen.

Before Stanley Tucci became a household name with The Devil Wears Prada, The Hunger Games, and the perfect Negroni, he grew up in an Italian American family that spent every night around the table. He shared the magic of those meals with us in The Tucci Cookbook and The Tucci Table, and now he takes us beyond the recipes and into the stories behind them.

Taste is a reflection on the intersection of food and life, filled with anecdotes about growing up in Westchester, New York, preparing for and filming the foodie films Big Night and Julie & Julia, falling in love over dinner, and teaming up with his wife to create conversation-starting meals for their children. Each morsel of this gastronomic journey through good times and bad, five-star meals and burnt dishes, is as heartfelt and delicious as the last.

Written with Stanley’s signature wry humour and nostalgia, Taste is a heartwarming read that will be irresistible for anyone who knows the power of a home-cooked meal.

The Year Of Living Danishly by Helen Russell

Given the opportunity of a new life in rural Jutland, Helen Russell discovered a startling statistic: Denmark, land of long dark winters, cured herring, Lego and pastries, was the happiest place on earth.

Keen to know their secrets, Helen gave herself a year to uncover the formula for Danish happiness.

From childcare, education, food and interior design to SAD and taxes, The Year of Living Danishly records a funny, poignant journey, showing us what the Danes get right, what they get wrong, and how we might all live a little more Danishly ourselves.

In this new edition, six years on Helen reveals how her life and family have changed, and explores how Denmark, too – or. her understanding of it – has shifted. It’s a messy and flawed place, she concludes –  but can still be a model for a better way of living.

Born A Crime by Trevor Noah

The compelling, inspiring, (often comic) coming-of-age story of Trevor Noah, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.

One of the comedy world’s brightest new voices, Trevor Noah is a light-footed but sharp-minded observer of the absurdities of politics, race and identity, sharing jokes and insights drawn from the wealth of experience acquired in his relatively young life. As host of the US hit show The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, he provides viewers around the globe with their nightly dose of biting satire, but here Noah turns his focus inward, giving readers a deeply personal, heartfelt and humorous look at the world that shaped him.

Noah was born a crime, son of a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother, at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the first years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, take him away.

A collection of eighteen personal stories, Born a Crime tells the story of a mischievous young boy growing into a restless young man as he struggles to find his place in a world where he was never supposed to exist. Born a Crime is equally the story of that young man’s fearless, rebellious and fervently religious mother – a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence and abuse that ultimately threatens her own life.

Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Noah illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and an unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a personal portrait of an unlikely childhood in a dangerous time, as moving and unforgettable as the very best memoirs and as funny as Noah’s own hilarious stand-up. Born a Crime is a must read.

Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

Rich with humour, insight, compassion – and absolute honesty – Tiny Beautiful Things is a balm for everything life throws our way, administered by the author of the New York Times-bestselling memoir, Wild.

Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you, you lose a family member, you can’t pay the bills. But it can be pretty great, too: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life, you get that plum job, you muster the courage to write your novel. Everyday across the world, people go through the full and glorious gamut of life – but sometimes, a little advice is needed.

For several years, thousands turned to Cheryl Strayed, a then-anonymous internet Agony Aunt. But unlike most Agony Aunts, this one’s advice was spun from genuine compassion and informed by a wealth of personal experience – experience that was sometimes tragic and sometimes tender, often hilarious and often heartbreaking. Having successfully battled her own demons while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, Cheryl Strayed sat down to answer the letters of the frightened, the anxious, the confused; and with each gem-like correspondence – of which the best are collected in this volume – she proved to be the perfect guide for those who had got a little lost in life.

Book Synopsis:

Malaya, 1920: Two girls make a promise in the shadows of the jungle. A promise that life will not let them easily keep.

Malaya, 1941: Ella is running her late father’s tin mine in the Kledang hills, while Noor works as her cook.

When the war that felt so far away suddenly arrives on their doorstep, Ella is torn apart from her family. Her daughter Grace is left in Noor’s care as Japanese soldiers seize the mine.

Ella is forced to make an impossible choice that takes her to England, thousands of miles from home. She is desperate to be reunited with her loved ones. But will the life she returns to be anything like the life she left behind?

My Review:

The Forgotten Promise is a beautifully written, absorbing and fascinating read which I really enjoyed.

Firstly the author has clearly done her research and I felt truly transported to wartime Malaya and England. I didn’t know much about the Japanese invasion of Malaya so I found all the little details the author includes in the story really fascinating. I often found myself googling things that I’d read about which is a sure sign that I’m enjoying a book.

The characters the author has created are brilliant and I enjoyed following them throughout the book. It was really lovely to follow the girls throughout their friendship and watch them grow closer as the story continues. It was quite emotional to see how much war affected the two of them and how it changed them. The author cleverly writes the story so that the reader feels they are right there with the girls, somehow included in their friendship and experiencing everything alongside them. This makes the story more hard hitting at times as you feel so much more involved in the story.

I found this book very absorbing and I soon found myself drawn into the girls world. There always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading and even in the quieter moments I found the book hard to put down as I was so invested in the story, wanting to find out what happens next. This is actually the second book in the series which I didn’t realise before I started reading but it can easily be read as a standalone as anything you need to know is explained. If you’re a fan of historical fiction you need to read this book!

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Paula has lived in various places, including Singapore, where she was based for three years. It was while living in Singapore that the first seeds of her debut novel, Journey to Paradise developed. The crumbling buildings and the modern high-rises popping up almost overnight seemed to be a metaphor for the social diversity and change in Singapore at that time. However, as a young mother living there, she wondered what it must have been like as a post-war colonial wife living miles away from the familiarity of home. Despite the gloss and glamour of colonial living, women were frequently stuck in unhappy marriages, often unable to follow careers or have the independence to divorce if things went wrong – which they inevitably did.

Her writing, although set against exotic backgrounds, is set on the cusp of change – the shift from colonial dominance to independence. She likes to dig into a variety of issues, and her main protagonist is, in many ways, a metaphor for the events surrounding her at that time. It isn’t always an easy journey, but in the end, success comes her way.

Book Synopsis:

They will have justice. They will show their power. They will not burn.

Norway, 1662. A dangerous time to be a woman, when even dancing can lead to accusations of witchcraft. After recently widowed Zigri’s affair with the local merchant is discovered, she is sent to the fortress at Vardø to be tried as a witch.

Zigri’s daughter Ingeborg sets off into the wilderness to try to bring her mother back home. Accompanying her on this quest is Maren – herself the daughter of a witch – whose wild nature and unconquerable spirit gives Ingeborg the courage to venture into the unknown, and to risk all she has to save her family.

Also captive in the fortress is Anna Rhodius, once the King of Denmark’s mistress, who has been sent in disgrace to the island of Vardø. What will she do – and who will she betray – to return to her privileged life at court?

These Witches of Vardø are stronger than even the King. In an age weighted against them, they refuse to be victims. They will have their justice. All they need do is show their power.

My Review:

The Witches Of Vardø is an atmospheric, chilling and absorbing read that will stayed with me.

The story is told from the point of view of three women: Anna, Ingeborg and Maren who all help bring a different element to the story. I wasn’t really sure about Anna to begin with as I was never completely sure about her motives and whose side she was on. As such it took me a little while to warm to her despite the awful situation she finds herself in. I loved Ingeborg who bought a little bit of innocence into the story and Maren who seemed a very feisty, independent lady. I enjoyed watching their friendship develop and the way they helped each other through things.

I didn’t know anything about the Norwegian witch trials so I found it fascinating to discover more about them. It was really chilling to learn how awfully they were treated and how women could be harshly punished for the smallest crimes or suspicion. It made my blood boil to read about it and my heart went out to all the women who might have suffered.

The author does a great job of setting the scene and I really felt transported to Norway like I was experiencing everything alongside the women. I felt like I could actually feel the biting cold, smell the awful accommodation Anna finds herself in and feel the fear of the characters situation. It made me glad that the world has moved on from this time.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and can’t believe it’s the author’s debut. The story did start a little slow but soon became very gripping as there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. The tension in the book slowly creeps up until it’s almost palpable which meant I read far to late into the night. If you’re a fan of absorbing historical fiction then I highly recommend this book.

Huge thanks to Tracey for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Bonnier for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Anya Bergman became interested in the Witch Trials of Vardø and the vivid folk tales of the North while living in Norway. She became fascinated by the trials and the women murdered there on a visit to the Steilneset memorial, in which Louise Bourgeois and Peter Zumthor commemorated the persecution of women accused of witchcraft. Now resident in Edinburgh, Anya graduated with distinction from the Creative Writing programme at Edinburgh Napier University.

Good morning everyone here are 6 books I’m hoping to read this month.

River Sing Me Home is for a blog tour and the rest are all books that I’ve been wanting to read for a while as I’ve heard lots of great things about them. I’m really hoping I get to read them this month.

Have you read any of these?

We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

Who knows you better than your best friend? Who knows your secrets, your fears, your desires, your strange imperfect self? Edi and Ash have been best friends for over forty years. Since childhood they have seen each other through life’s milestones: stealing vodka from their parents, the Madonna phase, REM concerts, unexpected wakes, marriages, infertility, children. As Ash notes, ‘Edi’s memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine.’

So when Edi is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ash’s world reshapes around the rhythms of Edi’s care, from chipped ice and watermelon cubes to music therapy; from snack smuggling to impromptu excursions into the frozen winter night. Because life is about squeezing the joy out of every moment, about building a powerhouse of memories, about learning when to hold on, and when to let go.

For fans of Nora Ephron and Sorrow & Bliss, We All Want Impossible Things is a deeply moving, jubilant celebration of life and friendship at its imperfect, radiant, and irreverent best.

Babel by R. F. Kuang

Oxford, 1836.

The city of dreaming spires.

It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world.

And at its centre is Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows.

Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian, Babel seemed like paradise to Robin Swift.

Until it became a prison…

But can a student stand against an empire?

An incendiary new novel from award-winning author R.F. Kuang about the power of language, the violence of colonialism, and the sacrifices of resistance.

How To Find Your Way Home by Katy Regan

What if the person you thought you’d lost forever walked back into your life?

In March 1987, four-year-old Stephen Nelson welcomes his new baby sister, Emily. Holding her for the first time, he vows to love and protect her, and to keep her safe forever.

Thirty years later, the two have lost touch and Stephen is homeless. Emily, however, has never given up hope of finding her brother again, and when he turns up at her office, she thinks her wish has come true. But they say you should be careful what you wish for – because there is a reason the two were estranged . . .

As the two embark on a birding trip together, Emily is haunted by long-buried memories of a single June day, fifteen years earlier; a day that changed everything. Will confronting the secrets that tore them apart finally enable Emily and Stephen to make their peace – not just with their shared past and each other, but also with themselves?

Haunting, beautiful and uplifting, Katy Regan’s How to Find Your Way Home is about sibling love, the restorative power of nature and how home, ultimately, is found within us.

River Cry Me Home by Eleanor Shearer

We whisper the names of the ones we love like the words of a song. That was the taste of freedom to us, those names on our lips.

Mary Grace, Micah, Thomas Augustus, Cherry Jane and Mercy.

These are the names of her children. The five who survived, only to be sold to other plantations. The faces Rachel cannot forget.

It’s 1834, and the law says her people are now free. But for Rachel freedom means finding her children, even if the truth is more than she can bear.

With fear snapping at her heels, Rachel keeps moving. From sunrise to sunset, through the cane fields of Barbados to the forests of British Guiana and on to Trinidad, to the dangerous river and the open sea.

Only once she knows their stories can she rest. Only then can she finally find home.

Inspired by the women who, in the aftermath of slavery, went in search of their lost children.

The House In The Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune

He expected nothing. But they gave him everything . . .

Linus Baker leads a quiet life. At forty, he has a tiny house with a devious cat and his beloved records for company. And at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, he’s spent many dull years monitoring their orphanages.

Then one day, Linus is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and given a highly classified assignment. He must travel to an orphanage where six dangerous children reside, including the Antichrist. There, Linus must somehow determine if they could bring on the end of days. But their guardian, charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, will do anything to protect his wards. As Arthur and Linus grow ever closer, Linus must choose between duty and his dreams.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune is an uplifting, heart-warming fantasy tale that’s become a New York Times, USA Today and Washington Post bestseller.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

High fantasy, low stakes – with a double-shot of coffee.

After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream – for she plans to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there knows what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the past behind her, she can’t go it alone. And help might arrive from unexpected quarters. Yet old rivals and new stand in the way of success. And Thune’s shady underbelly could make it all too easy for Viv to take up the blade once more.

But the true reward of the uncharted path is the travellers you meet along the way. Whether bound by ancient magic, delicious pastries or a freshly brewed cup, they may become something deeper than Viv ever could have imagined.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree is a cosy, heartwarming slice-of-life fantasy about found families and fresh starts – perfect for fans of TJ Klune, Katherine Addison and T. Kingfisher.

Good morning everyone and happy weekend! I love a good buddy read. Not only do they make me read books I might not otherwise pick up but they also give me the opportunity to discuss the book with some lovely bookish friends which I always enjoy.

This month I have two buddy reads a classic book, The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy, which I must admit I hadn’t heard of before, and a historical fiction book The Rose Code by Alice Quinn. I think I started The Rose Code before but didn’t finish it so I’m excited to read it this month.

Are you doing any buddy reads this month?

The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy

THE DUD AVOCADO gained instant cult status on first publication and remains a timeless portrait of a woman hellbent on living. It is, as the GUARDIAN observes, ‘one of the best novels about growing up fast’.

Sally Jay Gorce is a woman with a mission. It’s the 1950s, she’s young, and she’s in Paris. Having dyed her hair pink, she wears evening dresses in the daytime and vows to go native in a way not even the natives can manage. Embarking on an educational programme that includes an affair with a married man (which fizzles out when she realises he’s single and wants to marry her); nights in cabarets and jazz clubs in the company of assorted “citizens of the world”; an entanglement with a charming psychopath; and a bit part in a film financed by a famous matador. But an education like this doesn’t come cheap. Will our heroine be forced back to the States to fulfill her destiny as a librarian, or can she keep up her whirlwind Parisian existence?

The Rose Code by Alice Quinn

1940, Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire.
 
Three very different women are recruited to the mysterious Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes.
 
Vivacious debutante Osla has the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses – but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, working to translate decoded enemy secrets. Self-made Mab masters the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and the poverty of her East-End London upbringing. And shy local girl Beth is the outsider who trains as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts.
 
1947, London.
 
Seven years after they first meet, on the eve of the royal wedding between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, disaster threatens. Osla, Mab and Beth are estranged, their friendship torn apart by secrets and betrayal. Yet now they must race against the clock to crack one final code together, before it’s too late, for them and for their country.

Book Synopsis:

Galaxy ‘Alex’ Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. A dropout and the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved crime, Alex was hoping for a fresh start. But a free ride to one of the world’s most prestigious universities was bound to come with a catch.

Alex has been tasked with monitoring the mysterious activities of Yale’s secret societies – well-known haunts of the rich and powerful. Now there’s a dead girl on campus and Alex seems to be the only person who won’t accept the neat answer the police and campus administration have come up with for her murder.

Because Alex knows the secret societies are far more sinister and extraordinary than anyone ever imagined. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And sometimes they prey on the living . . .

My Review:

Ninth House is a dark, gripping read which I absolutely loved!

Firstly I must admit to being slightly sceptical when I started this book about whether it would live up to its massive hype but it definitely does. In fact I’d happily rate it as one of the best books I’ve ever read.

Alex is a fantastic main character who I enjoyed following throughout the book. I wasn’t to sure of her to begin with as she seemed quite prickly but I really warmed to her as the book went on. She’s a girl who’s had a rough start to life and I liked watching her gain her confidence in her new role and find her place in life. She’s a very strong, brave lady and I loved that she didn’t let anything stand in her way.

The world the author has created is brilliant and one I loved spending time in. The idea of a magic being so close to the real world but still hidden was instantly intriguing to me. I also liked how the magic had been divided into different houses and the description of the different things those houses could do with that magic. The inclusion of ghosts or ‘greys’ in the story was also very interesting and gave the book a supernatural feel to it . I loved how they helped tell the story of the town’s history and how they helped Alex in her investigation.

I was immediately drawn into the story and into the wonderful world Alex finds herself in. The story is told in two timelines one following Alex as she tries to solve a murder and the other flashing back to her first days of her new role at Yale. I liked the way the author did this as it meant the reader gradually discovers more about Alex and what’s going on seemingly alongside Alex which I thought very clever. The plot was very fast paced and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. I felt very sad to finish the book and leave Leith House behind. I am now very impatient for the sequel which comes out in a few weeks.

About The Author:

Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology—and much more. Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Los Angeles and is an associate fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University.

Book Synopsis:

A young woman is dead.

A very wealthy client needs a favour. You’re newly qualified as a lawyer and this could be your big break, so you jump at the chance.

The case is about to be closed.

All you have to do is talk to a family, ask them to sign some papers. How difficult could it be? Their daughter was found dead at a beauty spot on the outskirts of London in what you’re told was a tragic suicide.

Only you can uncover what really happened.

But the truth is never that simple. And this case could cost you your life…

My Review:

The Simpler Truth is a gripping, thrilling read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Firstly I really loved the main character Luke who was very likeable and easy to get behind. He’s from a different side of town to the rest of his privileged colleagues and I felt that helped make him more relatable. It also gave him the experience and skills needed to help get him out of difficult situations.

I was quickly drawn into the story and found the book hard to put down. The plot was incredibly fast paced and the multiple points of view made the story very moreish. I kept promising myself that I’d only read one more chapter then look up to realise I’d read ten and it was two hours later. The different storylines were very interesting and I liked how they all came together for a very satisfying ending. I’m excited to see what the author writes next and hope there’s a sequel as I’d love to see what happens next for Luke!

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

James Buckler currently lives in London. He grew up in the south-west of England and has lived in the USA and Japan. He has always been fascinated by books, stories and films, especially the gripping, twisty narratives of classic Hollywood cinema and British crime novels. He studied Film, Video and the Photographic Arts at the University of Westminster and has worked in the film & TV industry for many years, most notably as a post-production specialist for MTV and BBC Films. His debut novel, Last Stop Tokyo, was published to critical acclaim in 2017.

His second novel, The Simple Truth, is out in January 2023.